Speaking of conservation... KarmaQuest in partnership with the Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) proudly claims 100% success at spotting the rarely seen endangered snow leopard on our prize-winning Wintertime Quest for the Snow Leopard trips in Ladakh, India. Again, in 2018, our group spotted snow leopards on three occasions: once, on the hunt for blue sheep, and another as a cat moved down a slope, leaving its mark behind. They also viewed Tibetan partridge, hare, pika and many birds as well as fresh snow leopard pub marks along the way. On the trip, guests stay in family homestays, generating income for the community that is protecting the snow leopard. And for every visitor we bring, KarmaQuest donates generously to snow leopard conservation, research and educational programs in Ladakh. This win-win situation has become a showcase for ecotourism and wildlife conservation around the world.

Bird- and wildlife watchers won't want to miss our Wildlife Safari to Sri Lanka. On previous trips, expert naturalists have led us to see wild elephants, monitor lizards, spotted and sambar deer, sloth bear, mugger crocodiles, even the elusive leopard! We've watched a leopard for over two hours, lazing in a tree as wild boar and buffalo, and elephant families walked nearby. We've tallied as many as 70 bird species, including some rarely seen. (Leopard photo left: Chitral Jayatilake. Elephant photo above right: Chandika Jayaratne)

A highlight of the trip is what’s known as “The Gathering” -- the coming together of hundreds of wild elephants in Minneriya National Park: “one of the world’s ten greatest wildlife spectacles.”

Traveling with KarmaQuest is much more than a holiday adventure:
it is helping to conserve the natural environment, endangered wildlife, and our
world's rich cultural heritage by supporting conservation and practicing
sustainable tourism. It is learning from studied and village experts on the ground or
in a classroom environment; and going home with a fresh perspective.

KarmaQuest specializes in Custom Designed trips and Travel Consultations, helping you plan a one-of-a-kind travel experience. We operate a wide range of trips, from treks and mountaineering expeditions to cultural and special interest tours and educational programs. Our carefully crafted itineraries -- built upon our own 25 years of adventure travel and ecotourism planning experience throughout Asia -- take you off the beaten track and into village homestays, yak herders’ tents, nomads’ felt
yurtas, as well as to some of the world’s best boutique hotels, five star properties, and charming guesthouses.

Besides our Menu of Trip offerings, KarmaQuest invites you to consult with our team of Personalized Travel Planners to custom design a trip just for you -- one that fits your interests, time frame, budget and expectations. We are never more than a phone call or email away.

Many of our trip members return again and again. In the words of one repeat KarmaQuest traveler: "I just returned from my third KarmaQuest trip, this time Sri Lanka… As in all my trips with KarmaQuest, the trip was highly factual, the local guides excellent, the accommodations clean, comfortable and attractive… If you're looking for travel destinations that are a little out of the ordinary [not a Hilton], KarmaQuest does an excellent job planning and executing a trip you'll long remember."
Steve Slomka, August 29, 2017

Here are a few of our favorite trips that also help support worthy non-profit organizations that we personally know. Please read more.

Burma/Myanmar is one of the most exciting travel destinations today. Unveiling Burma visits the "must-see" destinations of Yangon, Inle Lake, Bagan and Mandalay -- staying in lovely hotels -- while learning about and contributing directly to improving the health care and education of orphaned and impoverished children.

Sikkim: KarmaQuest invites you to join one of the "top treks in the world" on our Singalila to Kangchendzonga trek in 2019. On arrival in Sikkim, you'll be welcomed as a family guest at the home of KarmaQuest Director Karma Lama (right) before setting off on a two week challenging Himalayan trek. Hike along the ridge that separates Nepal from Sikkim before descending into a deep valley, lush with monsoon fed forests before heading to the base of Mt. Kangchendzonga, third highest peak in the world.

Ending the trek in Yuksom, you'll learn from a local non-profit Kangchendzonga Conservation Committee about its garbage management and ecotourism training programs. Its work launched a Sikkim-wide effort that recently earned Gangtok, capital of Sikkim, the accolade of "cleanest tourist destination in India." Go see for yourself! Or in the words of one KarmaQuest guest:

"I took away a deep understanding of the history from educated local experts, and truly felt that I was living the culture… I always felt I was their number one priority!"
John Huerta, "A Cultural and Village Life Tour of Sikkim and Darjeeling.

En route to
Goechela, Sikkim

Still recovering from the 2015 earthquake, Nepal warmly welcomes visitors as it always has. KarmaQuest's
decades of experience in Nepal enable us to offer unique
travel experiences that also help disadvantaged Nepalis.
"The Mysteries of Mustang" takes you into one of the most scenic and magical places in Nepal: Upper Mustang. On a previous trip, we lent a hand to villagers where needed (photo left). Before the trek, Dentist Loree Bolin (Health and Hope Foundation) and trip members provided free dental service to over 200 orphans and staff of Paropakar Orphanage in Kathmandu. KarmaQuest has a long standing relationship with Paropakar and Virtue’s Children Nepal,
a charitable organization that supports the education some of Nepal's neediest children. Please inquire.

KarmaQuest is also helping to rebuild Nepal after the horrific devastation of the April and May 2015 earthquakes. If you'd like to make a donation please visit our partner organization the Chandra Gurung Conservation Trust or ask us personally.